T. Kingfisher is a master of ambiance, and The Hollow Places held me absolutely spellbound. It takes one of my favorite tropes—a doorway to another world—and uses it to create a truly unsettling and atmospheric horror story.

I loved the premise of this—31 spooky stories for each day in October. However, my love for this book started and ended there.

I didn't love this one.

This book was surprisingly deep and....ominous, might be the best way to describe it. It's left me with a distinct feeling of unease.

A quick, short story about a possessed car. I picked this up on a whim, wanting something to listen to while making dinner. Due to the short length, I didn't have high expectations, but it was surprisingly good. The details about other possessed cars made it all the more interesting and added a sense of validity to the story.

This is a bit of a mind-fuck of a read. Definitely thought provoking. A coming of age story about the joys and traumas of growing up. This isn't a happy-go-lucky coming of age story, this one is laced with unease and darkness—the nightmares of childhood.

Creepy and unsettling. This book is filled with mystery and intrigue. And it has some serious haunted house vibes.

Vivid details make for a very dark and macabre story. The atmospheric elements were well presented. And I do think that this book did a good job of addressing some of the bigotry that LGBTQIA+ people face.

This book is unique in that it is told from the point of view of a dog. Cute and witchy with humans and animals working together to either achieve or disrupt sinister happenings.

I really wanted to love this one—I even intentionally saved it for spooky season—but I just didn't love it the way that I had hoped. I liked that the characters were diverse, and the premise of the book held a lot of promise. I even generally liked the ending.

Oh—my—gods! I loved this book so much. It was impossible to put down—and when I did manage to pry myself away, I kept thinking about it and wanting it. And, even as I was reading, I kept dreading the inevitable moment it would be over. Now that it is over, I'm wondering how long I should wait until I read it again.

It is no surprise that this book has withstood the test of time. It is such a great classic.